


Lovestruck

by gedonelune-romance (brutalism)



Category: Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart+
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Spoilers, drabble challenge 2k15, wizardess heart spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-29 08:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5121950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brutalism/pseuds/gedonelune-romance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots written for a drabble challenge; all pairings included. Spoiler warning for all routes, just in case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Secret Spire - Klaus x Randy

—

 

**A Secret Spire**

**  
** —

 

Even without looking at his watch, Klaus could tell it was half past six by the campfire colors in the sky. He didn’t bother to sigh. Instead, he straightened his back and juggled a burdensome pile of paperwork. The campus lay deserted, except for the occasional pair of students drifting serenely together towards the dorms or the library. Every time he passed such a couple he would, for just a moment, imagine himself through their eyes: tall, imposing, strict, and perhaps even a little mythic.

This was the life he had chosen for himself. The job. He would not give up until Headmaster Randolph offered him a position as professor at the academy. Let both Randolph and the Ministry of Magical Justice be knocking down his door before he left. Goldsteins should always have options.

As he stepped out into the cloister-like columned archway framing the courtyard, a splotch of cotton candy pink jolted him out of his reverie: Randy.

Klaus squinted, trying to figure out what the boy was up to. With Randy, it was always best - or perhaps safest - to figure out what the young inventor was working as soon as possible, and preferably at a safe distance.

Randy was sitting on one of the stone slab benches on the middle of the courtyard with a thick leather journal at his side. He would read the journal for a moment, then spring up and speak some sort of incantation, then frown and consult the journal again. Klaus stifled a laugh. There was something endearing the way Randy used his finger to guide himself along the page.

Now Randy was waving his wand, his voice with a different pitch, and suddenly there was a loud crack that shook the whole courtyard. A giant cloud of thick purple smoke swirled forth and obscured him from view.

They were alone, and even if they hadn’t been, nothing would have stopped Klaus as he charged across the lawn with all the energy and focus of a dog jumping to save a drowning man. In the back of his mind, he was aware he must have dropped his papers. In one, two, three bounding paces he was there, fishing his wand out of his pocket and muttering an incantation to clear the dry and scratchy air. His stomach lurched, imagining the horrors Randy could look like if his wand had misfired -

“Whew! Guess that didn’t work, huh Klaus?” Randy was beaming at him, whole and beatific. His pink hair flopped into his eyes, he grinned his most charming smile.

For just a moment, cool relief washed over Klaus. Then came the rage.

“What - were - you - doing?” He hissed, stepping to stand nose-to-nose with Randy. “What - spells - were - you - using?”

Randy had opened his mouth and begun some sort of reply, but Klaus wasn’t listening. His eyes shifted to the side and, spying the open journal on the bench, snatched it up to take a look. But of course, that wily magician was making it difficult for him here, too. His handwriting was near impossible to read, and besides which, he had crammed each page full of esoteric and elaborate diagrams. Up in the corner of one page there was something about a chocolate bar rating system, which made no sense.

“I said,“ came Randy’s voice roaring back to him, as he stood on his tip toes and bonked Klaus in the forehead, “give that BACK.” With an almost audible swiping motion, the journal was out of Klaus’ hands and behind Randy’s back, punctuated by a small cheer from Randy.

“It’s rude to steal other people’s things, you know,” he said, making a show of smoothing his lapel. From someone else, that would have sounded sanctimonious, but even ducking his head couldn’t hide the twinkle in Randy’s eyes.

“It’s not stealing, it’s research,” Klaus said, trying to make his voice as sour as possible. “I never have any idea what you’re doing. If you would come to me first when you get these ideas, you hare-brained idiot, I could help you. Instead you blow yourself sky-high.”

“But you have to act when inspiration strikes!” Randy punched his arm in the air for emphasis.

“And what was the inspiration this time?”

“I’ll show you!” Randy raised his wand again. Klaus, alarmed, tried to reach for the wand, but Randy’s grip was resolute on the jeweled end, and he was repeating the incantation with renewed vigor.

Klaus braced himself for another explosion, but it never came. Instead, he felt a trickle of awe.

All around them was something glittering. Encasing them was some sort of small tower, with just enough room to move a pace or two in either direction. Instead of stone walls there stood rounded sheets of translucent amber. They appeared solid but closer inspection revealed the design was gossamer-like, as if some spider had spent hours weaving them the most delicate web in existence. The setting sun slipped through the gaps and got caught in the tightly-woven threads, filling the spire with golden light.

Klaus blinked, feeling every muscle in his body relax. Something like tranquility bubbled through him. “Randy, what is this?” He reached out a hand, not daring to touch it for fear the entire thing would shatter around them.

Randy grin stretched the widest yet. Still holding his journal, he clasped his hands together behind his back and rocked on his heels. “It’s spun sugar. A sugar spire of invisibility, of course.” He laughed. “A secret spire! Absolutely no one can see us in here.”  

“Hmm, interesting.” Once he got over the surprise, the wheels in Klaus’ mind had no trouble starting to turn. “You know, the Ministry of Magical Justice could make good use of this. Perhaps use it in stake-outs for protection. Or maybe -”

“Klaaaauuus,” Randy was whining his name, bouncing on his heels, “that’s not what it’s for.”

“What it’s for?” He furrowed his brow, frowning. “What do you mean, what it’s for? What else would you - “

“For this,” Randy said, his voice turning husky. He leaped up, throwing his arms around Klaus’ neck as he pulled him into a surprisingly deep kiss. The journal gave a muted thump as it fell to the grass, forgotten.

For a moment, that was all there was, Randy pressing his lips against his. Startled, with his eyes still open, Klaus could see Randy’s face up-close and impossibly serene, as if he were sleeping. Randy’s eyes were shut tight, his eyelashes bunched in a lush line that curled back towards his eyelids. There were faint freckles speckling his nose.

Then Randy was pulling away, their faces a fraction apart. Randy’s rose-pink eyes darted around Klaus’ face as a worry line appeared in his brow. “Nobody has to know.”

A burst of affection exploded in Klaus’ stomach and he was kissing Randy back, grabbing the other boy’s face in his hands and pouring everything into that kiss - his desire, his need, his loneliness. They shared a breath, broke apart, kissed again. Klaus ran his fingers through the thick waves of that cotton candy hair. It had been a long time coming and he was going to savor every second. The light of dusk streamed through the spire, warming their flushed cheeks.

Randy pressed a hand against Klaus’ chest, and this time it was Klaus who moved back. “What is it?”

“Your prefect duties. It’s getting late.” There was a slight somber note to his words that Klaus couldn’t place. Randy’s eyes had moved over his shoulder, staring at something behind him. Ah, the papers.

“They can wait.” Klaus said, willing his face to become stern. “First, we need to talk.”

“W-we do?” Now Randy looked well and truly nervous.

“Yes. About your magic experiments. In addition, we must discuss how utterly inappropriate it is for two prefects to date. It explicitly breaks several rules, as well as bending half a dozen others.”

Randy shrank, seeming two sizes smaller.

“Which is why,” Klaus continued, “it is most fortuitous no one can see us.” He smiled and captured Randy’s chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“We will talk, Randy, but not now. For now - “ He drew close to Randy, trying to memorize that expression, this moment, as they stood together in the glimmering spire.

“Kiss me again.” The smile Randy gave him was brighter than the sun.


	2. Say Yes - Luca x OC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #15 “So, I found this waterfall…"

—

**Say Yes**

—

 

Minako Deglace, recently admitted student at Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, had hit an all time low.

And there it was at the top of her paper in glowing red ink. Her lowest score yet. She fought to keep a straight expression. Professor Schuyler was still talking, after all.

“Granted, it is not usual procedure to hand back exams,” Schuyler said, frowning, “as we usually post scores on the board. But the scores - “ He said, and surely his eyes were hovering on Minako, “- were so far below my expectations that I felt returning the exams to you should merit an improvement. Study wisely.”

The faintest of chimes, and the entire class was reaching for their bags. “Do not waste this rare opportunity,” Schuyler said. “That will be all for today.”

The professor wrapped his cloak around his arm and swooped from the classroom. The noise ratcheted up as the classroom went from silent to filled with friendly chatter as the students rose from their desks and compared papers.

Minako flopped on her desk, permitting herself a small wail. “I can’t believe it! And I studied for hours this time!”

Just a few seats away, Elias shot her a concerned look and halted in the middle of packing his satchel. “Bad scores again, Deglace?”   

“Yes. My worst. No, the worst.” she said, struggling to keep real tears out of her voice. “I finally get admitted to the Academy, and…”

“Here, let me see.” From her crooked perspective, face squashed against the desk, she saw Elias dip behind his own desk and head towards her, disappearing from view for a moment as he approached her from the other side. There was the soft clacking of his shoes, and then she felt a tugging emanating from the paper under her face.

“No,” she said, pressing her cheek down hard, “I can’t let you see it.”

“Deglace, please.”

What a surprisingly gentle voice. She sighed, figured she could not remain glued in this seat forever, and relented. “Fine.” She rose from her seat and handed him the paper, shoulders slumped. “Just don’t laugh, okay?” She glanced over at Luca’s seat. Empty, as usual. A sigh escaped her, but only a small one. He had actually been doing well for the past two weeks, so she couldn’t get but so mad. Still, it would have been nice if he had made it today, to comfort her.

“Well,” Elias said, “it’s not quite as bad as I thought.”

Minako turned, aghast. “Not as bad as you thought? I didn’t even get half right! You must think I’m - “

“No, no.” Elias was shaking his head. “Look.” He leaned in and held out the paper, tracing all the answers with little red ‘x’s. “All the questions you got wrong were magical theory questions. You got all the names and dates right.” He scratched the tip of his nose. “Although how you remembered the names but not what they accomplished…”

Minako looked down at her hands, noticing she had been clenching the bottom of her skirt. She reminded herself to breathe deep, and looked Elias in the face for the first time since he had grabbed her paper.

“Well, the names and dates are easy. I like history. It’s - it’s a little like telling stories but, of course, the people are real. I used to memorize stories back home, and then recite them to the animals to keep them calm. You know, while I healed them.“ She paused, checking his face to see if he was still listening. “But I can’t make heads or tails of the theory part. I get the incantations mixed up, or I get sidetracked trying to remember what a term like ‘spell refraction’ means.”

Elias’s eyebrows creeped up to his hairline. Then, amazingly, he smiled, the mouth turning up at the corners. It wasn’t Luca’s smile, exuberant and carefree, but it was nice. Understated, like him.

“I think I understand. I wouldn’t recommend this to most people, but it might work for someone like you.”

“Understand what?”

“Truthfully, you’ve struggled with magical theory since you got here. You don’t have the background that some of us have. But you can remember names and dates if you put them in a story, right?”

“Right…?”

“So all you have to do is incorporate the theory into the story too. Think of the people like characters, and treat their magic as an extension of themselves and what they wanted to accomplish.”

Minako chewed her lip. “Hmm, it sort of makes sense when you say it like that, but I’d probably have to see examples for it to click…”

Elias hesitated, something on the tip of his tongue. She could tell from the way he looked to the side and straightened his tie. “You could study with me sometimes, you know. Until you got your grades up.”

What? Elias, studying with someone like her?” “Really? I don’t know… I’d probably just drag you down…”

Elias cleared his throat, handing her back the paper. “Well, just think about it, Deglace.” The room seemed much quieter, and she realized that the room had emptied out while they were talking.

“I should get going,” he said

They exchanged goodbyes and Minako stood alone, staring at her paper. Luca might not care so much about his grades, but she did. She had made it into the academy, somehow, and Headmaster Randolph seemed to like her. But that wouldn’t be enough if she wanted to stay, let alone graduate. Her gut warned: get your act together. She folded the paper into neat thirds and grabbed her satchel. The open windows provided the perfect view of the campus lawn in the afternoon, peaceful and calm.

When a head popped through the window, she screamed.

 

* * *

 

Luca hung through the open window, his back shivering as he struggled and failed to suppress his laughter. She noticed the slenderness of his wrists and the perfect shape of his hands, then forced herself to push the thought away. She was angry, dammit!

“Luca! You scared me! You big jerk!” The heat rose to her cheeks, and they burned as bright as kindling.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, I swear it,” Luca said, wiping his eyes. “I swear it. I was going to pop through the window and say something real suave and romantic, but you got scared instead.”

“Of course I got scared! You just popped in the window like some creep! You could have been, uh, uh - a serial killer!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Where were you, anyway? We got our tests back today!”  _And mine was the worst,_  she wanted to say, but didn’t. Underneath that was a smaller voice saying,  _Hold me. Tell me it will be okay._  But she didn’t say that either.

Luca rested his elbows on the bottom of the window frame, leaning a cheek into one hand. His hair fell attractively into his eyes. Inwardly, she cursed him for it.  _Big attractive jerk._

“I didn’t see the point. Sitting in some desk just to get some piece of paper and have Schuyler yell at me about it? No thanks.”

“It’s not ‘some piece of paper.’ It’s our grades. Our future, you know?” When he didn’t respond, just looked at her with those inscrutable emerald eyes, she snorted in frustration and turned her back on him.

“Forget it. Listen, I have to get back to the dorm. Maybe Amelia will help me with today’s assignments…”

“Wait.”

She didn’t move. “What?”

“So, I found this waterfall…”

Minako sighed, gripping the handle of her satchel. It sounded so heavenly. “Luca, I really can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Do you think all our homework is going to get up and float away?”

“No, but you will.” She heard him mutter an incantation. She turned on her heel to look at him in betrayal, but before she knew it, her feet were lifting off the floor. Floating! She was floating!

Luca smiled devilishly and crooked his wand, and she bobbed towards him, like a soap bubble. The feeling was exhilarating and somehow refreshing, and she couldn’t help but laugh in surprise. She was floating right out the window towards him.

A moment later he had caught her, resting her face against his shoulder as he swept her into his arms. His jacket was soft against her face, as if he had laundered it many times, and it smelled of pine and wind.

“Say yes,” he whispered in her ear.

She felt safe in his arms, even though everyone said she shouldn’t. Suddenly tears welled in her throat and behind her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to go there with him, just for a while, and forget everything. She sniffled. “Wh-what about my things?”

“Well, we’ll just send them on home ahead of you, shall we?” He tapped her satchel and the folded up test. The paper neatly tucked itself into the bag, which began to bouncily float off in direction of the dorms.

“Now,” he said, putting her down gently on the grass, “let me show you the place I found.”

 

* * *

 

 

They had been tramping through the East Forest for a good half-an-hour, and despite predicting she would hate it, Minako found she was beginning to enjoy herself. They still had over an hour to dusk, but the shade of the many thick trees kept them cool. The deeper into the forest they went, the further away the test seemed to be.

Also, the deeper they went, the louder something became. Minako listened intently. It was a kind of… rumbling?

“Here we are, Minako,” Luca shouted, holding back a tree branch and inviting her forward. As she crept to peek, he held an arm against her stomach. “Not too far. Look!”

They stood on a ledge overlooking a magnificent waterfall. On their left, the river plunged over tiers of smoothed rock into a broad oval pool. The river continued from there, but at such a shallow depth that children could walk in it.

There was nothing like this her village. She knew she was staring, but couldn’t tear her eyes away. It felt like Luca was smiling.

“Come on,” he said, “I know a way down, follow me.”

He lead the way again, holding her hand tight as they navigated a narrow path leading down to the pool. Gravel crunched under their boots, and more than once the wind whipped spray from the water into their faces. Once it landed on Minako’s lips, and it tasted sweet.

“Okay, all set.” Luca said.

Minako dared to look up from her feet. They were a decent distance from the plunge pool - close enough to admire it, but far enough away to avoid being splashed. Luca had removed his jacket and set it down right against the bank. He sat, and patted a space next to him.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, leaning into him.

“Mmm,” he murmured.

For several minutes they did nothing but stare into the water. Minako watched it rush over the riverbed, dozens of smooth pebbles lining the bottom. She wondered how they would feel against her toes.

“Minako?”

“Yeah?” She turned to look at him. Without his jacket, he could have been a student at any school, wearing a simple white shirt with blue pants. He’d wrapped his arms around his knees, and was staring out on the water, the way she had been.

“I actually was there. For class. I was outside the whole time - by the window.”

She goggled at him, raising her hand to slap his thigh.

“I didn’t want to waste my time being in class, but I did want to be near you.” He laughed, a soft sound. “So I stayed out there on the lawn, waiting to tell you about this place. Of course, that means I did hear the conversation between you and Elias.”

Her hand dropped. “I wasn’t flirting with him, I swear!”

He laughed again. “Good. I don’t think my heart could take it if you were.”

A few more moments of silence.

“Listen, if you want to study with Elias, though, you should do that.”

“Wh-what?” If there had been a chair to fall out of, she would have. Luca telling someone to study was about as likely as her being able to speak with Carbuncle. Minako blinked rapidly. “Did… I hear you right?”

“Let’s face it, my grades are never going to recover, and I don’t care about that enough to try.” His eyes sought hers. The point of his earring rested against his neck as he tilted his face to keep looking at her. “But you’re different. The tests really stress you out. I’ve noticed.”

Feeling embarrassed, Minako tried to break eye contact. “Do you think it’s pathetic? The way I get?”

She felt Luca’s hand close over hers. “Minako.” She felt tears rising, and he squeezed her hand tight.

“If your grades are important to you, I’m not going to say no or get in the way of that. Study with Elias. He’s a good teacher, and it should help you feel more confident.”

“It would…” Minako took a deep breath. “It would help if you came to class more often, though. If you really want to help.”

Luca laughed, drawing his brows in the defeated expression he wore whenever she had beat him. A small surge of victory rose in her throat. He would come to class, she knew - or at least, it would take less nagging until he did. They had talked a little about her worries, and nothing had exploded or gone to pieces.

She felt Luca’s fingers moving through her hair.

“But in return… stay with me here for a little longer. Please.”

She snuggled into his shoulder. “All right.” Around them, crickets began to sing.


	3. Funus Captis - Klaus x MC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #44 “If you die, I’m gonna kill you.” 
> 
> so this was inspired by a lot of things… partly by the klaus unhappy ending, partly by penscritch’s great fic “Each Day Brings” , but mostly by the question “ok but what if klaus was a magic cop though”. this is mildly AU-y as a result? just kind of think of the klaus unhappy ending + cops in the magical justice department. it’s still gedonelune

—

**_Funus Captis_ **

—

 

Klaus breathed heavily as he felt sweat trickle across his temple. Crouched in the dark alley, he could still hear the scuffling and shouting of several magic duels happening at once just a few feet away in the town square. His mind whirred as he fought back the fear and focused on finding a solution in these few precious seconds of reprieve. He could just barely see his wand, glinting on the cobblestones a few feet away from around the brick wall he was using as cover.  

A blast of light blinded him, forcing him to close his eyes.

They should have known Svensyn would put up a fight. He was a difficult one to pin down, and the Department of Magical Justice had been watching him for three months. All that changed once Svensyn had targeted the shopping district for his latest spree.

“Unicorn horn,” the battered shopkeeper had gasped out of the working side of his face, the other a mottled and swollen wreck, the color of grapes. “He wrecked up my shop, convinced I was holding back on him.”

“And when he came up empty handed…”

The shopkeeper swallowed, a painful and strained sound. “And then he wrecked me.”

The ink had barely dried on the parchment before another officer’s familiar had shown up at his feet. “Detective Klaus,” the cat said in a voice not its own, “Suspect spotted running towards town square. Officer McGibbons in pursuit, backup requested from all units in twenty-five kilometers. Your reply?”

“Tell McGibbons I’m on my way,” he said, and the cat nodded once before vanishing.

He had rushed out of the shop and grabbed his broom waiting by the door. Within seconds he was zooming over the heads of startled citizens, booming to them as he passed, “Magical Justice business! Please, clear the area!”

Citizens scattered like dry leaves. Up ahead, he could see a tall, red-headed person that could only be McGibbons. He was pointing his wand at a snarling Svensyn, who had his back to the square’s giant gurgling fountain. The magician was shorter and slighter than Klaus had expected, hunched over and using his cloak to shield something from view. McGibbons was shouting something indistinct. Svensyn raised his wand in response, but even as he did so, several plainclothes officers were hurtling towards the pair on brooms. It was now five to one, and Svensyn must have known he was doomed.

That’s when he’d pointed his wand at the ground, shouting, _“Apareo Umbra!”_

Instead of one shadowy doppelganger appearing, a circle filled with inscrutable symbols formed. Klaus’ stomach dropped in dread as he flew ever closer. Umbras began to claw their way free from the circle. First two, then three, then dozens. Umbras poured from the circle like a swarm of malevolent ants. Svensyn began laughing, sounding slightly hysterical.

“Officers, get down!” Klaus yelled. _“Aqua!”_

A torrent of water rushed from the tip of his wand, straight towards Svensyn and his summoned minions. McGibbons dived to the side, frantic not to get caught in the attack himself.

The water slammed into the umbras. Several shrieked and toppled.

“No!” the magician shrieked, “Protect me!” Two umbras swiveled and grabbed Svensyn, carting him bodily out of the raging wall of water. Though the umbras were thin like their creator, they had the fortitude of professional strongmen.

Klaus gritted his teeth, turning his broom to head directly for Svensyn, hoping to snatch him from the umbras, super-strength or not. There were too many umbras for even six officers to deal with without the criminal escaping. This fight would only end if they went after Svensyn himself.

He got close enough to see Svensyn’s eyes widen in alarm. The men’s eyes locked together, their respective worlds confined to one small point in time. Klaus drew his wand and began to speak.

Before he could get the words out, he felt a hand clench his ankle and wrench him forcibly off his broom. The broom clattered to the ground, spinning off somewhere he couldn’t follow. The umbra who had captured him screamed in his face, knocking the wand out of his hand.

 _Great. Dismounted and disarmed in three seconds flat, like a novice._ The umbra raised its clawed hand, ready to maul Klaus across the face. Klaus felt his muscles tense as he went in for a blow of his own. He probably couldn’t hurt it without magic, but…

“Goldstein, duck!” Klaus did and felt a jet of flames crackle over his head, singeing a few strands of hair. The umbra shrieked and crumpled as it burnt.

He turned to see McGibbons flash him a quick smile before blasting another target. “Take cover, detective! We’ll hold our own here!” The sound of other wands being fired filled the air as the other officers rose to battle.

“I can’t leave you here! We’re still outnumbered!” Where was Svensyn? He couldn’t see.

“Graduated top of your class, didn’t you? Take cover, I said! We need your brain to get us out of this mess!”

 

* * *

 

That’s when Klaus had made a run for it and ducked into this nearby alley, so close to the action. The umbras were too busy trying to protect Svensyn from the other five Magical Justice officers to waste much time chasing Klaus down the street.

Now, though, as seconds flew past and no ideas occurred to him, it felt to Klaus that he was not only a coward but an idiot. Wasn’t he the one that had saved his true love from a mad man? Wasn’t he the one who had stared evil in the eye and won?

No, Randy had been there to help, he remembered. It had never been just him.

He grit his teeth and refocused his eyes on his wand, so close and forgotten, even by an umbra that was practically stepping on it. If he went for it, it would mean leaving his hiding place without a plan, and potentially risking all of their lives. The nearest umbra could easily tear into him before he got a single spell off.

Unbidden, his mind’s eye pictured Beatrice jumping in front of the unicorn, trembling but resolute. She had never told him about that part, but he always imagined it, especially in times like these.

He had to make a decision she would be proud of.

“Klaus, wait!”

Impossible, to hear her voice in this place -! But as he turned, instead of the dark emptiness of the alley he had sprinted into, there she was.

Her hair was pulled loosely into the the twin tails she loved so much, her face a perfect description of terror. She clutched at the front of his uniform.

“Don’t do it! Don’t go out there yet!” Tears filled her eyes, spilling over onto cheeks that, he noticed with faint surprise, were smeared with flour. “You’ll die if you do! My time magic warned me about it and I had to stop you. Klaus, please…”

“Beatrice,” he said, willing his voice to be gentle, “I have to go out there. Those are my comrades out there. My fellow officers. I have to fight alongside them.”

His wife’s expression tore at his heart. It felt like the world was collapsing around him to see her this way. “Beatrice, is Peony okay?”

“What?” She asked, distracted. “Oh… yes, Yukiya’s watching her. But Klaus - “

He kissed her, trying to pour all his love for her through that simple embrace. That wasn’t possible, of course. To do that, he would have to kiss her forever. _Please, let this be enough._

Pulling away slightly, he looked into her eyes. “You’ve made me a very happy man. Take care of our daughter, Bunnyhead.”

He turned away, stepping out into the light of the square.

Before he could think of closing the gap between him and his wand, a small shape sprinted from behind him, yelling, “Klaus Goldstein, If you die, I’m gonna kill you!”

Beatrice squared her shoulders, facing down the nearest umbra. “Ventos!” The umbra, along with several others nearby, was caught off guard and was blasted to the ground. With a cheer, several of the officers refocused on the fallen and wiped them out. Beatrice stooped and picked up Klaus’ wand, tossing it to him with a flick of the wrist.

“You trained me so we could fight together, right? Don’t count me out, you big idiot!”

She was smiling at him through her tears. Klaus couldn’t help but laugh. His bunnyhead, always full of surprises, even now.

He smirked. “All right, but we are going to have a serious talk when this is over, young lady.”

As his wife’s wind spells whipped the umbras around, Klaus scanned the battlefield, alert. Beatrice’s magic had reinvigorated the officers and they were fighting tooth and nail against the thinning umbra horde. Svensyn had armed himself with two umbra bodyguards and had erected a shield spell around himself. It was unclear as to why he was staying - Klaus had thought he would be the type to flee if he had the chance.

But that was a mystery for later. A plan was hatching in his mind.

He scanned the ground. There! He could see his broom. “Beatrice! Get ready!”

“Right!”

Klaus flicked his wand, and his broom whistled through the combatants, ducking past blasts of magic towards his open hand. A second later, it hit his palm with a satisfying thwap.

Kicking off into the air, he swiveled the broom towards his wife, holding out his hand. She fired off one last wind spell, then with the grace of a dancer, spun and grabbed his hand. Wordlessly, she settled on the back of his broom.

They rose together higher into the air. All of the other officers had been knocked off their brooms long ago, too overwhelmed by the umbras to do anything but defend themselves. The good thing about that, though, was that the umbras were no longer watching the skies.

 _“Globus flau!”_ Fireballs rained down from Klaus’ wand.

 _“Globus lumen!”_ Klaus smiled as Beatrice used the very spell he once used to save her life. He watched in satisfaction as the twin forces of fire and light terrorized the umbras. The sound of a triumphant yell from McGibbons reached his ears as they beat back the umbras.

Once again, Svensyn and Klaus locked eyes as they located each other on the battlefield.

“Hold on tight,” Klaus said.  

He felt, rather than heard, Beatrice’s determined nod as he angled the broom down towards the earth. The wind whipped past their ears as they shot towards Svensyn like a righteous arrow.

“You won’t get away, Svensyn!” Klaus roared. _“Funus captis!”_

Svensyn raised his wand to defend himself, and that was his undoing. His protective shield wavered and died as his attention was broken.

It left him totally defenseless against the golden chains that formed around him, binding his limbs to his body. The magician fell over with an undignified yelp.

 _“Globus flau!”_ Twin fireballs from Beatrice incinerated his umbra bodyguards.

The remaining umbras looked back towards their now defenseless master with something like dismay. The officers opened fire, shredding them like paper dolls.

Within moments, the battle was over. Quiet settled over the town square. Svensyn was laying on the ground in his golden chains, helpless tears leaking out of his eyes. Klaus landed and helped Beatrice off the broom.

“Impressive,” he admitted. “It appears there’s more in your head than cotton balls after all, bunnyhead.”

She laughed, still flushing like the girl she had once been every time he gave her a compliment. “I had a child, Klaus. I didn’t forget everything you’ve taught me. They’re different.”

Her eyes rested on him with barely contained affection. They stood together, their bodies pumping with exhilaration at the sudden victory.

“I’m… so glad we could work together. That you’re all right.” she said. “The visions I get will never stop scaring me, and I’ll probably cry and get dramatic every time, but…”

“But…?”

She shook her head, looking down at her shoes for a moment. “Mmm. It’s nothing. I’ll let you get back to work.” They both laughed at the strange normalcy of those words, the peace returning so few moments after fighting for their lives.

My life, Klaus corrected himself. He couldn’t decide whether to make good on his jest of lecturing her about her fatalist desire to put herself in danger, or to spend all night thanking her, instead.

“I’ll have one of the men escort you home by broom, then. You successfully teleported here this time, but I don’t want you to risk botching it on the way back. McGibbons?”

“Right, sir.”

McGibbons dusted himself off and joined Beatrice’s side with a broom waiting. “My lady?”

She climbed onto the broom, and Klaus moved away. “Time to deal with you, Svensyn.”

“Wait - Klaus?”  

He turned back. Beatrice was hovering in midair, McGibbons sitting in front with his posture ramrod straight and hands clearly gripping the very front of the broom. His face was beet red and he was sweating. It had probably just occurred to him what Klaus would do if he thought McGibbons had laid one finger on his wife. He stifled a laugh. “Yes?”

“S-see you at home.” Beatrice stammered.

“Yes,” Klaus said, feeling a wellspring of love and relief spill from his heart. “See you at home.”


	4. Banana Split - Elias x Luca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #49 “Well this is awkward…”

—

**Banana Split**

—

 

Five seconds after Professor Schuyler had announced the groups for the class field trip, and two of their members had jettisoned. Yukiya muttered something about wanting to try out a new candy at the candy shop and evaporated, while the new girl had squeaked something about her boyfriend and run off in the opposite direction. **  
**

Which left Luca and Elias staring uncomfortably into each other’s eyes.

“Well?” Elias spat, “don’t you have somewhere to escape to?” His voice was a little louder than he had intended; he had been going for the smooth condescension of his older brother Klaus, and he had missed the mark by a decibel or two.

Luca smirked. Inwardly, Elias kicked himself. Why couldn’t he ever get it right? The sight of Luca’s sly expression only fed the indignant fire flickering in his chest.

“What?” he said uneasily. He crossed his arms. “You skip all the time, anyway. I don’t see how breaking the group rule is any different to you.” There, that was it. That was the kind of tone he was striving for.

His companion laughed. The sun was catching in his hair, shimmering in his solitary earring and shooting little beams of light around the square. His shirt was undone and showing his bare chest, his jacket barely holding on to his shoulders, and when the wind suddenly gusted it caught his shirt and lifted it slightly, as if placing a hand inside. He looked very devil-may-care, with that fluttering shirt and glittering earring and handsome smile.

The fire inside his chest changed into something strange, something writhing and strong. Feeling discomforted, he glanced to the side and looked around the square. Most of the students had left; the fountain splashed merrily a few paces away. There were dozens of half-timbered buildings on both sides of the square, the dark wood of the timbers contrasting starkly against the pale paint. Many of the buildings had bright decorative flags or window boxes filled with cheery flowers. It was hard to tell businesses and homes apart, except for the occasional handcrafted wooden sign hanging above a door.

Luca’s voice caught his attention, making him look back. “Well,” said Luca, “I thought maybe it would be more fun to hang with you this time.”

Elias stared. Pretending not to notice, Luca fished a coin out of his pocket. Examining one side, he continued, “I think I know this town backward and forward by now. But you -” he balanced the coin on his thumb, then launched it skyward with a quick jerk, “I’d like to see what kind of places a prince finds interesting.”

There was a soft slap as the coin hit Luca’s palm. He was looking at Elias again, the smirk returned.

Feeling that every second he did not respond he was somehow losing points according to some mysterious scoreboard, Elias spun on his heel to face the opposite direction. A slender alley welcomed him, the curved brick archway framing a picture of a bustling street beyond.

The real shopping district was in line of sight, dozens of businesses selling every manner of magical wares. If he squinted, he could almost make out the sign advertising the local wand shop, which he had dearly been wanting to visit. There was also the tea shop, where he was hoping to find a present for his brother. Klaus had been helping him out with a little extra training and he wanted to show his appreciation. No doubt all the shops would be busy.

“Well?” said Luca.

“All right,” he answered, not bothering to turn around. “Just keep up and don’t cause any trouble.” Of course, this was an impossible order. Asking Luca not to cause trouble was like asking rain not to fall.

Once he had let Luca borrow his notebook. The notebook had looked normal on the outside when he got it back, but it only took a class period to prove otherwise: Luca had replaced all the paper with magic notes, and all of Elias’ careful handwritten diagrams freed themselves of the binding and flew out the window, evaporating on the breeze.    

 

* * *

 

But strangely, Luca didn’t cause any trouble. Not in the wand store, where Elias spent at least an hour vacillating between two different models, debating the pros and cons, before walking out without either. Nor in the town library, where Elias wandered around the stacks endlessly, occasionally forgetting he had someone with him.  Not even in the bookstore, where Elias expected at least some snickering comment about “more books”. Having Luca around, rather than the huge trial he had expected, was rather like having a shadow that looked nothing like yourself.

Until, that is, Elias announced it was time to head to the tea shop.

“You know what would be better than that?” Luca didn’t wait for a response. “The ice cream parlor down the street. Someone gave me a today-only special coupon. Let’s go there instead.”

Thinking again about their blocking the door, Elias tried to move Luca aside by the shoulder, but Luca slipped out of the way, then returned to blocking him, like some slippery water sprite. Elias frowned.

“When did you even have time to get a cou- “

“Oh, I left the library for a while.” Luca said. “I did the pillow thing. It’s _criminal_ how often that one works on you.”

Visions swam in front of Elias’ eyes. The time Luca had raised his hand six times in class, each time giving ever more ludicrous answers, until Professor Schuyler raised his eyebrows, pointed his wand, and revealed Luca was a pillow. The time Professor Merkovla asked him to write the five potential uses for a minor healing potion on the board and Luca pretended to panic, before turning into a pillow.The time Luca fell asleep in class, someone bumped into him, and he disappeared with a puff of smoke as a pillow _on top of a pillow._

“Lucaaaa - “ Elias said, his voice picking up steam, certain he would blow his top right here in the middle of the street.

“Relax.” Luca drawled. “If you don’t want to go, we won’t go,” He shrugged. “But if not, we should hurry and head back to the square and meet the others. It’s gunna rain soon.”

As if confirming his words, the sky above let loose a low warning growl of thunder. Elias blinked and looked up, shading his eyes with his hand. It had gotten dimmer as they had stood there talking, and the blanket of purple clouds above were the cause.

“Well, what’s the plan?” Luca prodded him.

Elias hesitated, looked at the sky, then hesitated some more. “I really did want to get Klaus some tea while I was in town…” Even as he spoke, the air was getting chill. He gnashed his teeth. He should have gone for the tea shop instead of the book shop - or any of their other destinations, really. How much time had he wasted in the wand shop and the library?

Luca sighed. “Fine, fine. Look, I know a shortcut. Follow me.” He set off at a brisk pace, looking over his shoulder only once.

Elias wasn’t sure how wise it would be to follow him, but he didn’t have much time to decide. The streets were growing thick with people, streaming out of shops and opening umbrellas. In the distance, he could hear the train at Gedonelune Station blowing for last call.

Jostled by a young woman carrying an armful of packages, he lurched forward and grasped at Luca’s jacket. Luca didn’t appear to notice, too busy picking his way picking through people and turning corners. Elias had a vague idea of where they were headed, but nothing that could compare to Luca’s internal map. Twice they ducked down random alleyways, but right before he could complain, they would open up onto a street Elias was familiar with.

Thunder pealed. They sprinted past a young boy eating caramel corn, the toffee-like scent of burnt sugar mixing with the sharp smell of impending rain. With a flicker all the streetlights and lamps in shop windows turned on at once, spilling a soft amber glow all over.

“We’re getting close, right? The thunder - “

Luca’s initial reply was lost as the skies opened and rain poured down with all the noise of cavalry horses. “Quick, in here!” he said, louder than before, shoving his shoulder into the nearest shop door.

 

* * *

 

The smell of sugar hit Elias first as his eyes struggled to adjust to the dimness. The place was mood lit, a small floating lantern dancing high above every table to bathe the diners in their own private light. Each small round table rested a few feet apart to create small cocoons of conversation. The diners were mostly in pairs, murmuring to each other as their spoons clinked against tall glasses piled high with ice cream. **  
**

Two things struck Elias: one, they were in the very ice cream parlor that Luca had been pestering him to visit. Two - and much more alarmingly - this was a couple’s hangout. His eyes danced from table to table. Couple, couple, couple.

“Luca,” he whispered furiously, “this can’t possibly be that ice cream parlor that I told you I didn’t -”

“Hello!” A woman glided up to them in a perfectly pressed server’s outfit, holding a round server’s tray with two chocolate sundaes balanced on one hand. Her deep red hair was swept into a ponytail, and it matched the pink of her uniform fetchingly. “I’ll be right with you. Take any seat you like, there’s menus on the table.”

Luca smiled his easy smile and nodded. Elias’ stomach gurgled nervously as Luca navigated towards a table in the parlor’s corner, against the wall. It was quite far from the door and Elias didn’t want to go, but his feet moved mechanically after his captor.

Luca slid gracefully into a seat, still smiling. Elias followed with a much more leaden lump. This was it. They were trapped. Why had that server been so quick to notice them?

They sat together in silence.

“Well,” Elias said, “this is awkward.”

His companion looked up from the menu in his hands. Where had it come from? Was that menu the same as the square pink thing resting on the table, which Elias had been staring at in a daze of mortification? Why yes, it was.

“What’s awkward?”

“This!” Elias gestured wildly around them. A few sharp looks from nearby tables warned him that his voice was too shrill, so he dropped it a notch. “This cafe! This whole day!”

Luca glanced back down at his menu. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Elias sputtered like a tea kettle. He leaned in, hissing, “Come on Luca, let’s stop messing around and leave. If we get up before the waitress comes back, it won’t be too much of an inconvenience to her.”

“Why would doing her job be an inconvenience? I’m planning on ordering something.”

A small tremor in Elias’ heart warned that a heart attack may be coming. “You’re _what?”_

The other boy leaned in so close that they were almost nose to nose. When he spoke, Elias could feel the warmth of his breath tickle his cheeks. “Why are you freaking out, prince? Could it be that you’ve never been on a date before?” Luca raised his chin, his lips mere inches from Elias’ own.

The tremors in Elias’ heart became shock waves as his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. His stomach was a riot of nerves, and his face felt hot enough to cook an egg.  Slapping his palms against the table, he rose, desperate to get away. Far away. Strangely, that throbbing feeling in his chest was back.

“Why? Why do you always play games like this?” The words were out of his mouth before he even knew he was speaking. Across the table, Luca’s eyebrows were up, his eyes wide.

“Gentleman, I’ll be your server this evening,” came the soft voice of the waitress. “Is… everything all right?”

Elias silently cursed. He hadn’t noticed the waitress approaching from the side, and now he could feel her beside him, notepad in her hand and the pencil raised above it like a question mark. He also felt the weight of her eyes switching back and forth between the two of them, uncertain on how to proceed.

Unable to bear eye contact with her, he kept his eyes on Luca. The expression of surprise lasted only a millisecond, his face smoothing like a bedsheet before adopting that ever-present cocky smile. Elias felt like he had witnessed something important in the changeover, but he wasn’t sure what.

“Oh, everything’s fine. Isn’t it, Elias?”

When he resumed eye contact, Elias could feel the implicit question: was he going to play along, or make a scene? In answer, he felt his knees creak as he resumed his seat.

“Great.” Luca flashed the waitress a quick, lustrous smile. “I have this special today-only coupon? I was thinking we’d try the -” he looked down at the menu, but didn’t skip a beat, “ - Chocolate Cloud Parfait. Two spoons, please.”

“Trying something different today, Mr. Orlem?”

Luca laughed. “What? C’mon, that’s so old-fashioned.” He literally waved away the formalities with a quick hand gesture. “You can call me Luca.”

The waitress laughed, a small involuntary sound of pleasure. Somehow, seeing the playboy side of Luca did nothing to calm Elias’ nerves - instead, a hot rush of anger joined the mix.

“Right. Luca. Your parfait will take just a moment.” The waitress gave a tiny little bow - was it out of politeness, or to hide her blushing face? - and then skittered off to the kitchen.

Elias’ hands formed fists in his lap.

 

* * *

 

When the parfait arrived, all hard feelings were temporarily wiped from Elias’ mind as he drank in the sight before him and tried not to drool.

The dish before them was no mere sundae - it was a mile-high monument to sweets. Dozens of scoops of vanilla ice cream filled the bowl, forming a bumpy, snow-white mountain base. An assortment of chocolate items were crammed in every crevice - chocolate wafers, chocolate cookies, malted milk balls, even a small slice of chocolate cake molded into the shape of a carbuncle. Chocolate shavings coated the entire parfait top to bottom.

Luca’s head popped around the bowl. “Whaddaya think?”

Privately, Elias had to admit it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

“It’s… impressive.”

“Eat up. You’ve gotta have at least two people for this kind of thing.”

“Right. Well,” Elias steeled himself to reach for the spoon very slowly. Deliberately. Like a normal person. “Can’t let it go to waste…”

When his fingers reached where the spoon should have been, he encountered something else, something textured but surprisingly warm. He ran his fingers over it - rough, callused, but giving. Here was something taut but curved, and faintly, he could feel the beat of a heart that was not his own.

With a shock, he realized he had been running his probing fingers over Luca’s own hand and wrist. The young man had a spoon between his thumb and forefingers and was holding it out invitingly for Elias. Instead of looking disturbed, Luca’s mouth was curved in a bewitching, amused smile.

“Can’t tear your eyes away?”

With a strangled noise, Elias snatched the spoon and began stuffing ice cream into his face.

Luca just laughed.

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, the two boys staggered outside, the door chime faint behind them as they huddled below the shop’s overhang. Luca slapped his stomach and careened into Elias with an exaggerated lurch. Elias couldn’t help laugh, and the other boy grinned as he slung an arm over Elias’ shoulder.

“H-hey,” Elias grumbled, “don’t be so familiar.”

“Aww, even after I so graciously treated to you a sundae?”

Elias tried to shrug off Luca’s arm. “You were using a coupon. That hardly counts.”

Ignoring him, Luca shielded his eyes with his hand and peered into the sky. “Looks like the rain has let up. It’s just a drizzle now.”

Sighing, Elias followed his gaze. It was true. The clouds had faded to a light grey, gaps in a few places showing off the evening sky.

“Heh, I knew this would be great. Admit it, my part of the trip was way more interesting than yours.”

The waitress' face floated in Elias’ mind eye, and a sudden flash of anger gave him the strength to rip Luca’s arm off his neck. “Oh, yes. Just like class delinquent to use a school trip to flirt with girls.”

Luca blinked at him, looking genuinely surprised. “What?”

Again, the words came spilling out of him without provocation. “What was all that about? ‘Oh, Mr. Orlem?’” he mimicked in falsetto. “I’d always heard you were a playboy, but I didn’t think the rumors were serious.”

Luca stuck his hand in his pockets with a strange expression on his face. “I was just being friendly. I’m not interested in her.”

“Huh!” Elias snorted. “I guess she hasn’t learned your smiles are only skin deep.”

Silence crashed between them. The delicate pat-pat of the sprinkling rain followed to fill the sudden void. Luca turned his face away, becoming quite interested in the floral displays of the flower shop across the street.

Elias felt a pang of guilt. It was true that Luca had treated him today, and to something he’d enjoyed, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“Luca, I’m - “

“I wanted to know how you felt.”

Elias paused, thrown by the non sequitur. “What?”

“The new girl said something that caught my attention. I told her that guys like you and me couldn’t ever get along, and you know what she said to me? She said, ‘sometimes love looks a lot like hate from the outside’.” Luca reached up and grabbed a strand of his own hair, pinching it between his fingers. “I tried to forget about it, but I couldn’t. So I figured I’d set up this parlor date so I could figure it out for myself.” A soft laugh. “What a hassle!”

Elias’ mind felt sluggish. “The new girl?”

“You know, the provisional student.”

“Oh.” For some reason, it was hard to think. Planned? Did that mean Luca thought everything out in advance? And that moment, when Luca had teased him about never being on a date -

In the space of a breath, Luca’s face was inches from his own, mirroring that memory perfectly. He was smiling, that now-familiar faint curve to his lips. But, Elias noticed, there was something new in Luca’s eyes - something both vulnerable and powerful that sent shivers from the crown of his head to his toes.

“So, prince Elias,” he said, “is it love or hate?”

A blast of wind chilled them both. Luca exhaled, waiting, and his breath drove the cold from Elias’ cheeks.

“It’s - it’s not -” Elias gulped. “It’s not hate.”

Luca’s eyes tracked with Elias’ own, glimmering when the other boy spoke. “I think I can work with that.”

The space between them evaporated as Luca kissed him, hard. Elias gasped for air as his entire body came to life. One of Luca’s strong hands wrapped around the back of his neck, while the other latched onto his hip, and in both places Luca’s fingertips seemed to burn. His own hands were caught in Luca’s shirt collar, the fabric bunched between his fingers. This close, Luca tasted like salt and smelled like old books and pine.

Luca whined, and Elias bit the other boy’s lip, enjoying the way it yielded to his teeth. They tumbled, Elias feeling the sharp corner of the shop’s exterior wall dig into his back. He ignored it, too wrapped up in the way Luca’s tongue felt as it brushed tentatively against his lips. He parted his mouth and Luca’s tongue met his own.

The other boy was leaning into him full-force, one hand pressed against the wall. They ground their hips together, and Elias felt something that confirmed they were both enjoying themselves, very much. A needy groan sprung from his lips.

“Too loud, prince.” Luca said, “You’ll get everyone’s attention if you make such lewd noises.”

“It’s not my fault,” Elias gasped, his head clearing slightly for the first time. “And - And don’t call me prince.”

“I’ll stop,” Luca pressed the tip of his nose into Elias’, “if you kiss me again.”

“W-we shouldn’t,” Elias said, stalling. Now that he had a moment to breathe, he realized how weak his legs were - they felt ready to give out. Worse than that, at only a few paces from the shop entrance, their intertwined bodies were clearly visible, if not their faces. “It’s already so late. We’ll get left behind if we mess around any longer.”

Luca sighed, stepping back and pulling Elias into a fully upright position by the arm. “Should have pegged you as a mood-killer before this.” Despite his words, he was smiling. “Fine. Lead the way, then.”

Elias coughed and tried to straighten his uniform. “Right.” He stepped past Luca, and with only a few steps he was out from underneath the shop’s overhang and standing on the exposed street.

Not hearing footsteps, he looked over his shoulder. There was Luca, still standing by the sundae shop with his hands in his pockets. The light from the shop’s windows glowed behind him, framing him in a perfect snapshot of a cool autumn night. He looked unbearably handsome.

“Can’t tear your eyes away?” Luca repeated teasingly, and Elias flushed.

“If you don’t hurry up, I’m leaving you behind! I mean it, Luca!”

Luca grinned and jogged forward, grabbing Elias’ hand. “Don’t worry, I know another shortcut.”

Elias groaned, but he could feel his heart beating faster.


	5. Lavender - Yukiya x MC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt #15 “So, I found this waterfall…”

—

**Lavender**

—  


 

“Yukiya?” Liz crept through the door, opening it wider by degrees. This place was dark and still, with the only light provided by the full moon hanging in the window. The shutters were open wide and a gentle night breeze played with the curtains.

Once adjusted to the light, she realized how spare the room was, compared to the one she shared with Amelia; the furniture consisted of a bed and a dresser for each occupant, pushed up against opposite walls, and one shared desk. Even the floor was spartan: wood, not carpet, like she was used to.

The floor creaked as she took another step. There was a rustling sound from the bed on the right.

“Liz,” Yukiya said. He struggled to sit up, wobbily propping himself up on his elbows and then falling again to the mattress. She snuck over to him, then furtively glanced over her shoulder at the other bed.

“Elias isn’t here,” Yukiya mumbled. “Visiting… family tonight.”    

“Oh.” Liz sighed with relief. Now walking with much less concern for noise, she stole the chair from the nearby desk and placed it at Yukiya’s bedside. He gave her a weak smile as she grasped his hand in his.

“How are you feeling? Are you going to - ?”

“No.” His eye sought hers. Part of his face rested in shadow, meaning his eyepatch was barely visible in the dim light. “But I wanted to ask you… something. Will you stay with me tonight?”

Liz felt her cheeks burn. She felt like she would never get used to the way Yukiya could say such embarrassing lines with a straight face.

“It would b-be our first night together.”

A small murmur from Yukiya. He reached up and wiped some sweat from his forehead with the back of one trembling hand. “Not a good… first experience then, maybe.”

“Oh! I didn’t mean -!” She cursed herself, stumbling all over her words in dismay. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

Her eyes wandered to his sweating brow. A murmured incantation or two, and she had a bowl of water and a cotton cloth in her hands. Resting the bowl on the tops of her thighs, Liz dipped the cloth into the water, then wrung it out.

Yukiya was watching her with interest. She chuckled, swiping the cloth over his brow. “It’s fine. It’s a beautiful night.”

She was just making conversation, but in fact, it was. The breezes were fresh and constant, bringing with them the scent of lavender and the gentle chirping of crickets. A smile crept its way onto her face. The silence between them was filled by the sound of the cloth being dipped, wrung, and water falling in small drops back into the bowl, again and again. She tried to cleanse him as best she could, her love for him hidden in the way she smoothed the cloth over his throat and collarbone.  

“And it was a beautiful day, too,” she found herself saying. “I wish you had been able to come to class. No, I wish we could have spent the whole day together, out on the grounds.”

“Tell me about it,” he whispered.

“Tell you about it?”

“Describe to me what we would have done together.” Her heart stirred at the wistfulness in his tone.

“Well…” Liz took a deep breath, thinking. “We would leave class together. First we would sit in the grass on the northern path - you know the place, where we always spend time with Mr. Wolf?”

“Mmm,” he murmured, listening.

“We’d talk about our day. I’d complain about how hard the homework would be and you’d promise to help me. I would have made special cookies for the occasion and you would eat them.” She blushed. “You’d like them, I think. I would have put extra chocolate chips in them, just for you. We’d brush the crumbs off each other, and laugh. We decide to watch the clouds drift by.”

“Then, when we are full, we go exploring in the forest.” Here inspiration struck her. “It turns out I have been keeping a surprise to myself the whole time.”

“So, I found this waterfall, and I thought you would love it, so I blindfold you and lead you by the hand. And the whole time you’re asking me, ‘Where are we going Liz? Where are are we going?’ But I won’t answer you, I just laugh. You never trip, no matter how many winding paths I lead you down. We go deep into the forest, deeper than we’ve ever gone before.”

“When we get real close, the ground is all rumbling and vibrating, and you start getting really curious. I get you as close as I can, and whip off the blindfold. The sight of the waterfall hits you - bam! Just like that!”

“You can see a dozen rainbows arching off the surface of the water as it plunges down into the water below. It’s gorgeous, the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen. And we’re sharing it together, you and me. And maybe… just this once… I’m brave enough to kiss you first this time.”

Liz caught her breath. Her cheeks were burning so fiercely she was sure that she was lit up like firefly in the dark. “W-well? What do you think?”

“Yukiya?”

As she leaned in, she caught the sound of a faint snore.


	6. Mascot - Klaus x MC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: #25 “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

—–

**Mascot**

—–

 

 

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Klaus grumbled, as he stared into the over-large, much-too-cute, round purple eyes of a giant firefly owl.

“It’s only for today,” Chloe said earnestly, standing up on her tiptoes to brace herself against Klaus’ arm. She was trying to look Klaus directly in the face, in the hope that her most adorable pout would reach maximum effectiveness levels. “I won’t ask you to do it again, but I couldn’t get anyone else on such short notice…”

Klaus sighed, lifting his gaze from the mascot head.

“What about Luca? I’m sure he wouldn’t miss the chance to cheer on a bunch of girls.” He tried, for his girlfriend’s sake, to keep the disdain out of his voice. Nevertheless, a twitching sensation in his brow told Klaus his eyebrow must be spasming again. He willed it to a stop.

Chloe laughed and rubbed her neck in a nervous fashion. “Ahh, well, I started to talk to him, but he wandered off in the middle of our conversation, you see…”

 _Too embarrassing even for him, then._ “Yukiya?”

“I’m pretty sure he was pretending not to hear me.”

“Elias?”

“Extra homework.”

Klaus suppressed another sigh, not sure if Chloe truly believed the boys’ excuses, or if she was simply too kind to call them on it. Most likely the latter. Damn her warm, adorable heart.

He lifted the head and confronted it once again, man-to-mascot. It had clearly seen better days. The firefly owl’s feathers were originally a deep blue, but had faded to a mottled purple-like shade, and the eyes had clearly been sewn back in by a careless hand, leaving the right eye a few centimeters higher than the left. The mesh lining inside the head, intended to give the wearer some visibility as well as the chance to breathe, was quite thin in places. He found himself wishing desperately that it wouldn’t have a smell.   

“You want a prefect, second only in authority to the professors of this school, to put on this old, moldy, dingy… thing?” He was stalling, of course. “Wherever did you find it?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her abashed, shy expression change gradually to a more animated one. “Well, the idea to play Ladilz was all Amelia’s,” she said, “but the idea to check the storage shed behind the school was all mine. You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff they have crammed in there -  equipment and training mats and old school banners. But best of all was finding that mascot outfit and these uniforms.”

Chloe spun, showing off the cute blue pleated skirt and matching polo with blue stripes down the shoulders. A tiny Gedonelune Academy crest was emblazoned on the upper left corner, a few inches below the collar. She’d found a visor somewhere, too, and she’d looped her hair through the back in a loose ponytail, tied with her favorite pink ribbon.

“The academy must have had an official team at some point to have these kind of things, don’t you think? Klaus?”

Klaus didn’t respond, too busy admiring Chloe to say much of anything. She didn’t have the best figure of any girl he’d seen, and the polo and skirt combination made her seem more youthful than alluring. But somehow this proved irresistibly charming to him: her energy, the way she seemed to make the afternoon sun shine brighter. The spots of pink in her cheeks and her excited smile whipped up some inner enthusiasm he didn’t know he had.

“Klaus?”

“Yes,” he said, recovering himself. “They must have.”

She was practically bouncing on her toes. “When Amelia and I showed the rest of the girls the uniforms, they loved them, and everyone wanted to play. And if everyone enjoys this game, it might become a regular thing. You know? A real ladilz team, here! That’s why I thought if you wore the mascot costume, maybe…”

“Right. Okay, Bunnyhead.” Klaus surreptitiously took what could be his last gulp of fresh air and, with a thunk, affixed the mascot head to his own.

Thanks be to the heavens, someone had exercised an air-freshening charm, and the inside of the firefly owl was bearable. He gestured ‘give me’ with a free palm. “All right, hand over the rest of the suit.”

Chloe gave a delighted squeak and went to fetch the rest of the costume from her pack. He could hear, on the wind, a whistle blowing and excited laughter.

The things this girl got him into…


	7. Under the Stars - Yukiya x MC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: #13 “Kiss me.” In this modern!au, the mc is a vet tech at a small animal clinic and yukiya is the handsome and mysterious farmer boy.

 

 

—

**Under the Stars**

—

 

“Where are we going?” Liz asked. The entire world was uniform darkness, her vision obscured by a bandanna blindfold. If she took a deep breath, she could smell the memory of a day’s sun and sweat in the fabric - Yukiya must have been wearing it that day, on the farm - but strangely the smell cheered her. She could picture him tending to the cows, weeding the garden, looking out over his crops as he worked the earth.

“It’s not far. Trust me.”

Of course she trusted him. She remembered the first time Yukiya had brought his cattle dog, Azalea, for her first check up. Liz had been nervous, fighting to hide her newbie vet tech jitters. The entire time Liz examined the dog, he held her face in his hands and whispered to her so she wouldn’t get nervous at all the poking and prodding. He looked straight into that dog’s eyes, rubbing her brow bone as he murmured things only dog and owner knew about. Once she could have sworn she heard him describing how flowers grew.

“Getting close now,” he said. Liz resisted the urge to lift the blindfold. All she could hear was the hush of a thousand crickets, and the soft swishing of their shoes in the grass.

“Okay,” he said, moments later. “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready! Let me see!” She bounced on her heels  with excitement, and Yukiya laughed against her neck. Oh! He was close. She stilled, hoping he would kiss her.

“Do you want a kiss?” he asked, placing one hand on her arm and drawing her closer to him.

“Yes!” She struggled to keep the whine out of her voice.

“No.” She swore she could hear a muffled laugh hidden between the words. “You’ll have to kiss me, if you want that.” Clearly he didn’t expect that she would do it.

She leaned her face forward, unnerved by the sensation that she was floating in space. Nothing, nothing, and then - bonk, her forehead hit him right in the chin. Her cheeks grew hot, but Yukiya didn’t let go of her arm. It must not have hurt too badly, and the thought gave her renewed confidence. She tilted her face upwards and stood on her tip toes, balancing her weight on them as she searched for his lips.

Her lips grazed his lower cheek, finding the ghost of stubble, and she felt a dimple that must be the corner of his mouth. She followed it, and was rewarded. There were Yukiya’s lips against hers, soft and impossibly warm. Nervous butterflies took off in her stomach.

They broke apart. “I - I love you, Yukiya Reizen.”

“You haven’t seen the surprise yet.” From the way his fingers fumbled at the knot tying her blindfold, Liz could tell her love confession had startled him. The thought pleased her. He was always the one taking her by surprise, so let him see how he liked it! A smile crept to her lips.

When her vision returned, the smile fell away. Before her was Yukiya’s blue pick-up, but remade as a wonderland.

He had placed a plush mattress in the truck bed, then draped the mattress with blankets and topped it with pillows. She could feel herself sinking into its soft embrace by mere look alone. Next to the impromptu bed rested a wicker basket, filled with fruit, and she could just barely glimpse the slender neck of a bottle of wine. Mason jars were balanced on the sides of the truck bed, filled with gleaming river pebbles and topped with candles that glowed softly in the darkness. Yukiya had parked the whole thing under a tree, and the branches hung down, their leaves dancing in the night breeze. If they laid down on the mattress, they would almost be able to touch them.

“I thought you might like to stargaze with me.” His eye was on her, scanning for her reaction. There was a hint of nervousness there that she hadn’t seen since he’d first asked her out for coffee.

“Oh Yukiya,” she said, and she swept his face into her hands, kissing him again. “Of course I would.”

His smile blossomed, the first of the evening. She had a feeling she would see many more before dawn arrived.


	8. A Secret and a Picnic - Elias x MC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt #14: “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.” this prompt was also inspired by this prompt by otpprompts: “Imagine Person A of your OTP came out as bisexual to Person B, who accepted them for the way they are.” i see a lot of love for bisexual!luca, but i don’t see much bisexual!elias, so i thought i’d remedy that. two birds, one stone! obviously, if bi characters aren’t your thing, sit this one out.

—

**A Secret and a Picnic**

—

 

 

Elias had been pacing so intently that the cobblestone path beneath him was surely worn to dust. The idyllic backdrop of the school’s botanical gardens did nothing to calm his mood. He tried, once, to sit, but barely a second passed before he sprung up and resumed his vigil. Step, step, step, turn. Step, step, step, turn.

Orange light filtered over the towering manicured hedges. He could hear students talking and laughing on the other side of the hedge as they walked to club buildings or dorms. His girlfriend was late.

Elias touched the letter he had secreted inside his blazer pocket. He could recall writing each and every dreadful line, as well as the hair raising conversation with Klaus that had prompted the whole thing. _‘What are you so afraid of? This kind of behavior is not befitting for a Goldstein. Tell the girl and be done with it. And don’t make it a production.’_

Exactly the kind of thing an Emperor would say, but it wasn’t that simple for a normal boy like Elias. His heart twinged as his brain ran through all the differences between his elder brother and himself. Klaus would know exactly what to say to Liz and how to say it. He’d be flawless. He would not be afraid.

Elias was afraid.

Lizbeth Hart was his first girlfriend. His fan club had terrified all other girls in his class into submission - and even if they hadn’t, well, there was something to their unstoppable fervor that put a bad taste in his mouth. At the academy, the faintest whisper of the word ‘Goldstein’ inspired awe, praise, recognition. His shoulders hurt from carrying it. He didn’t think they could stand the weight of another social climber.

Hart’s appearance had been a balm for his soul. She was a country bumpkin by all accounts, but especially magically. Her first day in the classroom, she had managed to bungle a simple seeing spell and soak the entire classroom in a torrential rain. Despite that and all the spectacular failures that would follow, she never gave up. She showed up every day with a smile. And the only part of the Goldstein name she cared about was the part attached to him, her buddy.  

He dug his fingers into his neck, trying to massage away the tension.

“Elias?”

Lizbeth was standing only a few feet away from him, once hand resting on a wrought iron bench, while the other clutched a wicker basket. It was lined with checkered blue cloth. Fruit peeked over the rim.

“Sorry I’m late for our picnic. Headmaster Randolph asked me to take some books to the archives. I tried to tell him I had plans, but he disappeared before I could get the words out. Anyway, I’m here now.” She hesitated, clearly able to scent that something was wrong. “Elias? Are you okay?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” he croaked, sounding about as relaxed as a badly strung violin.

“Really, you can tell me.” She sat down on the bench, basket in her lap. “Do you not want to do the picnic? We could choose something else if you –”

“It has nothing to do with the picnic.” Her face blanched and he realized how harsh his voice sounded. He scuttled apologetically over to the bench and sat down, his knees wide. He found himself gripping his kneecaps with unnatural force.

“Look, Hart – I mean, Lizbeth.” Six months dating and he could still barely bring himself to use her first name. “We need to talk.”

“Oh,” she said. Her voice was so small and weak it made his heart jump. He could hear in the stops and starts of her breath that she was struggling to be brave. “Is - is it about my magic again? I told you, I think I really am starting to get it. On our last assignment I passed my average score by twenty points. I’m sure that if –”

“Lizbeth.” He willed his voice to be gentle, taking one of her hands in his to squeeze. “Your magic is fine. You’re… fine. More than fine.”

She didn’t speak. Her eyes did the questioning for her, not leaving his face. He dropped her hand. In his blazer pocket, the letter burned white-hot. But as he looked out over the botanical garden, flowers waving in the wind, he knew that a letter wasn’t the right answer here. She deserved something more straight-forward.

He took a deep breath.

“Lizbeth, the truth is… I like guys. I-I mean, I like guys _too._ I like both – guys and girls. Or maybe it’s that gender isn’t important to me. I don’t know. The point is that I didn’t want our relationship to continue without… without you knowing the truth about me.”

For a beat, his words rested between them. Then he felt her hand creep back into his. When he snuck a glance at her through the corner of his eyes, he couldn’t spot any condemnation. He kept talking.

“I’ve known for quite some time. Probably since my first day at the academy. There was a boy that I - “ he tried to clear his throat, as the words seemed to be sticking, “– that I liked. He was older than me, and I had this desperate hope that our emblems would light up and that he would be forced into being my buddy.” He shot her another look. “A-Although, don’t mistake my meaning. I’m more than content with the course of events that our emblems have helped create.”

“Anyway, it didn’t work out. He didn’t care for me. In fact, I suspect he hated me.”

Lizbeth gasped and leaned in. “Don’t tell me – Luca?!”

Elias almost broke his neck by whipping his head around so fast. “What?! No! No, never! Why on earth would you even think…?”

She laughed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “You two… do have a bit of a rivalry going on…”

“Rivalry is rivalry and love is love. They are nothing alike, so please don’t mix them up in that weird mind of yours.” He crossed his arms grumpily. This confession was going nothing like it should.

“All right.” She touched his forearm gently. “Please, forget it. Don’t get grumpy. Is this what you were so wound up about?”

He stared at her, marveling at her calm demeanour. When she had suspected he was upset with her, she had seemed only a breath away from tears. But when it came to this, the naked baring of his fears, a secret he had kept from her for months, she was the soul of grace. The fading sun brought out the liquid richness of her eyes, and she seemed a woman, not a girl.

“I-I was afraid that you wouldn’t like me anymore.”

“W-well…” she hesitated. “You don’t like this guy anymore, right?”

“Of course not. You’re the only one for me, Hart.”

“Then it’s settled. Put it out of your mind, all right?”

“But…”

“Hey, I’m with you, okay?” Lizbeth leaned forward and put her forehead to his, even though she was blushing. “Always.”

Elias closed his eyes, basking in her acceptance. He had hoped she would understand, but this kindness was almost too much. He felt love for her wash over him from head to toe. As the moment drew to a close, they pulled apart and smiled at each other.

“It would be a waste not to eat what you’ve packed. Maybe we could have that picnic after all.”

She jumped up, clearly pleased at the suggestion, and began pulling out a cloth from the picnic basket. Elias grabbed a corner and together they laid it out on the grass. Lizbeth knelt and placed a few plates on the blanket. With the basket open, Elias could smell all sorts of tantalizing scents mingling with the floral notes of the garden around them.  

Lizbeth paused, holding a bunch of grapes suspended over his plate. “Hey Elias? This boy you liked…”

He blinked. “Yes?”

“Would he be in the yearbook?” She leaned forward, a new glint in her eyes. A wicked smile was creeping to her lips. “Ooh, wait, would Amelia know him?”

Elias groaned. “Hart, I’m not telling you who he was!”

“Eliassss…”

“No!”

“Please?”

Elias sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a dramatic fashion. He had a feeling he had a new set of problems in his life. At least, he reflected, they were good problems.


	9. Missing Piece - Elias x OC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt #41 “You did all of this for me?” a sad!au where elias’ mother is deceased. so i literally wrote this because i was inspired by the meta analysis jambajunkie did on how the MC and the goldsteins handle grief differently. jambajunkie was talking about klaus specifically, but here i kind of touch on klaus & elias both. anyway, hope you enjoy

—

**Missing Piece**

—

 

 

Minako knew something was going on when Elias skipped a full day of classes. Missing one class was rare but not too alarming - sometimes prefect Klaus needed his help with something, or one of the teachers roped him into a favor that took longer than either of them expected. The fact was, Elias knew the material so intimately he probably could skip far more than he did and not have his grades suffer an inch.

But missing all of them? Unheard of.

When the bell rang marking the end of Barrier Magic, Minako rushed up to Headmaster Randolph. He had his back to her, not sensing her approach in the din of students leaving the room. With slight but decisive wand movements he cleared magical diagrams from the board.

“Headmaster?”

Randolph turned, wand still perched in mid-air. “Deglace? What can I help you with?” Immediately his face assumed its usual warm smile.

Minako returned the smile, albeit in a smaller and more wobbly way. She clutched her books to her chest. Even though the headmaster had been nothing but encouraging every time they met, it still wasn’t easy to talk to him. Maybe there was a small part of her still waiting for the scales to fall from his eyes and for him to order her away from the academy.

Still, if anyone would know if Elias was in trouble, he would. “My buddy hasn’t been to classes today. I was wondering if you knew anything.”

Randolph tucked his wand into his jacket pocket, though his eyes never left her face. They were difficult to read. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m at liberty to tell you that, my dear.”

“Oh.” She gripped her books tighter, her stomach twisting. “I’m sorry, I suppose it isn’t really my business. It’s just…” She found herself trailing off, not sure how to complete the sentence.

His gaze softened. “Minako. Trust in the bond you have formed as buddies. Even if Elias hasn’t contacted you yet, you mustn’t worry. In time he will share everything in his heart.”

“Right.”

Randolph looked like he would say something more, but Minako didn’t let him. She nodded and mumbled her thanks, then beat a hasty retreat.

Everything in his heart? She thought she knew everything there was know. In a matter of four more days - yes, she had it marked on her calendar, in her favorite gold ink - she and Elias would have dated for half a year. There had been many repeats of that confessional out on the campus lawn during her provisional student days. They had kissed enough times for her lose track. They had even spent one furtive night together, when she had snuck into his dorm and they cuddled in bed. Amelia’s idea, of course, but she had loved it.

What could she be missing? And if Randolph wouldn’t help her, who would?

She made it halfway to her dorm before she thought of Prefect Klaus.  


* * *

  
“Speak up. You can’t expect me to hear you if you mumble,” said Klaus. He was peering at Minako over his glasses, his violet eyes narrowed. His pen, which had been furiously scratching through a pile of parchment, had stilled ominously.  Minako had the peculiar sensation of being a ledger that an accountant was scrumptiously examining.

“I said, I was wondering if you knew where Elias is. He didn’t show up to classes today.”

“Where my brother is at all times is not, in fact, one of my principal duties. If he was absent from class, he had a reason. Evidently, he felt no need to share that reason with you.” He returned to his paperwork, and Minako suppressed a sigh of relief. It was very tempting to accept what was a clear dismissal.

But she couldn’t. “I - I know that, but… I’m worried about him. I’m his buddy. He’s never done this before.”

Again the pen stilled. “You’re his buddy, then? Minako Deglace?”

“Yes.”

Klaus sighed and leaned back in his chair with a loud creak. Instead of replying, he appeared to be examining something on his bookshelf against the far wall.

Minako took the chance to look around the room, having never been invited in before. The imposing french doors she had so nervously pried open belied a surprisingly cozy study with plush carpet. To her right, there was a trophy case, it’s exterior ledge home to several small bottles and tinctures. To her left, of course, there was Klaus’ desk.

The far wall was dominated by Klaus’ personal library, but also contained an inset fireplace with traditional brick mantle. A collection of pictures and certificates clustered above the fire, all in gorgeous matching frames. One read ‘Magic Competition Winners –’, but she couldn’t make out the names. Another, smaller one towards the bottom was a beautiful woman with honey-colored hair, laughing. Something about her seemed familiar.  

Eager to see more, she took a few steps forward and rested her hand on the back of a chair, leaning and squinting. Two leather chairs had been placed in front of the fire to enjoy the warmth of the flames, but of course she didn’t dare sit. She couldn’t imagine anyone feeling comfortable enough to use those except Klaus himself.

“Elias has done this before.”

Minako jumped, feeling a dash of guilt for snooping, but Klaus hadn’t noticed. His eyes were still on the bookshelf - actually, they appeared focused on a vase of aruenaristies, acting as a bookend.

“Sorry?”

Klaus closed his eyes with the fatigue of a man twice his age. Eyes still shut, he removed his glasses and placed them on top of his papers. With his glasses off, the bags under his eyes became readily apparent. “Elias always skips class on the same day every year.”

Minako could feel the weight of words yet to be spoken. She didn’t move. When he finally fixed his gaze on her, it was like a gunshot.

“Today is the day our mother died.”  


* * *

 

Minako didn’t remember what she said after he told her. What was worse than finding out the truth from Klaus was the pained grimace he tried to cover with a cough. The overwhelming urge to comfort him washed over her, but the Emperor was not the kind of person who accepted empathy from strangers. When Klaus wrapped up with a brittle, “Mystery solved. Any other questions, Deglace?” she politely excused herself and said she would stop by the dorms to see if Elias needed anything.

It was a much less embarrassing answer than what she was actually doing: crying and baking cakes in her dorm’s kitchen.

The dorm mother hadn’t even questioned her when she asked. Instead she took one glance at Minako’s distraught face and handed her the keys.

She started with apple pie, moved on to meringue, baked a layer cake, and now was halfway through chocolate chip cookies.  Part of the kitchen island was filled with completed treats, and the other half was in total disarray as she worked on this latest creation. She paused in her stirring to wipe a tear off her cheek.

Six months of being Elias’ buddy and she had never thought to ask him about his mother. Instead, she had chatted to him endlessly about her happy memories with her own parents before they passed on, and what life was like in her home village. If Klaus was trying so hard to hide his suffering on this anniversary, what must Elias be like? He always tried to put on a tough show, but he was much more vulnerable than his brother. Every time she tried to picture how Elias was holding up, she started to cry.

She attacked the dough with renewed vigor, unconcerned that such violent turns of the spoon would likely result in tough cookies.   

“Whatever did the cookies do to you, Deglace?” asked a familiar voice.

Minako spun on the spot. “Elias?”

Elias stood in the doorway, Carbuncle on his shoulder and a sheepish smile on his face. “The dorm mother said you’d be here.” Carbuncle lept from his perch and began bouncing excitedly around the kitchen, squeeing all the while.

Remembering her wet cheeks, Minako rubbed at them with the tip of her apron. “Yeah, well,” she said, her voice muffled through the fabric, “I got the urge to bake, so…”

She felt his hand on her shoulder. “Can I help?” he said.

She dropped the apron, looking around the kitchen distractedly. “Sure. You could - uhm - mix in the chocolate chips while I line the baking sheets with parchment.”  

They worked together in silence for a few minutes. Carbuncle had somehow found an empty bottle near the cooking fire, and batted it around, purring.

Elias set down the now chocolate-studded dough and reached for a spoon, his elbow bumping into Minako as they both crowded around the bowl. They both laughed, not moving away but not meeting each other’s eyes, either. They jostled their spoons as they began scooping the dough onto the baking sheets as one. Slowly, a rhythm formed. He would scoop, and as he gently placed the dough an inch from the last cookie, she would scoop the next spoonful.

“Did it worry you that I wasn’t in class today?”

“Yeah.”

“You know I would never skip if it wasn’t an important reason.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s because – well.” Elias frowned, scraping dough off the spoon with a quick stroke of his index finger. “It’s because –”

“Klaus told me. About your mom.”

Elias’ spoon fell into the bowl with a soft clank. Minako raised her head, catching his eye. His lips formed a small, helpless smile. “Right… it’s been six years, today.”

A pang stabbed Minako’s heart. “It must have been hard, to lose her so young.”

“It’s harder for Klaus. He has more memories of her. I don’t have much.” Elias looked down at his hands. “I can only recall small things these days. I know her favorite story was the founding of Gedonelune. Heh. She always felt bad for Hugo. She was soft-hearted, like you.” He said, tracing the rim of the mixing bowl. “And her favorite flower was aruenaristies.”

The vase of aruenaristies in Klaus’ room flashed before Minako’s eyes. Before she knew it she was throwing her arms around Elias’ waist.

Elias sputtered, clearly caught off-guard. “Deglace, what is it?”

“I’m so sorry, Elias.” Minako could feel her throat getting thick with tears.

A hand settled on top of Minako’s head, warm and gentle. “Deglace, it’s okay.”

Minako felt a prickle of tears in the corner of her eyes. She rubbed them fiercely against Elias’ shirt, shaking her head. “No! I know how hard it is to lose a parent. You don’t have to pretend around me!”

Elias squeezed her tight against his chest, and for just a moment, she couldn’t breathe from the force of it. Then he let her go.

“I’m not pretending, Minako. It - it really is okay. Seeing you care this much, seeing all the sweets you made because you were worried about me…” He leaned down, whispering directly into her ear. “I’m right aren’t I? You did all of this for me?”

She nodded.

She felt, rather than saw, his smile. Then he cleared what sounded like a suspiciously clogged throat. “Let’s get these cookies in the oven. There’s only so much time left until the dorm mother comes and chases me out of here.”

With a small hiccuping laugh, Minako pulled herself away. They each grabbed a corner of the baking sheet and slid it on a rack over the cooking fire. With quiet satisfaction, they watched the cookies spread and then rise with a puff.

 _You were right, Headmaster,_ Minako thought as Elias’ hand captured her own.


	10. First Snow - Elias x Luca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: #11 “Don’t you dare throw that snowba-, goddammit!”

—

**First Snow**

—  
  


 

Elias was all set to tear into Luca for skipping class, but the words disappeared when he saw his boyfriend playing in the snow.

Luca spun under the slow rain of white flakes, his chin jutting out as he tried to catch one on his tongue. When he finally did, he grimaced and laughed, muttering, “tastes like nothin’ every year.” Then he stomped around a little more, twisting around after every few steps to watch the progress of his footprints. Every time, Elias was sure Luca’s eyes would stray and spot him, huddled under the arches of the courtyard’s walkway, but Luca never did.

He remembered doing the same as a child, but always while in the company of his older brother, Klaus; his first winter memory was hopping into an imprint left by Klaus’ boots. He wondered if Luca had ever had anyone to compare footprints with.  

A thumping noise distracted him. Luca was supine in the soft powder, looking up at the sky.

Elias crept over to him, the snow crunching under his soles.

“Hiya, prince,” Luca said. He was smiling. His dark green scarf was wrapped thick around his neck and the ends were flopped haphazardly in the snow. Elias bought that scarf the week before when Luca let it slip they he didn’t own one. It was heartwarming to see him wearing it now, snuggled against his sharp jaw and pink cheeks.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought about making a snow angel, but that’s too much work. It’s more interesting to watch the sky. Wanna join me?”

Elias crouched and dusted some snowflakes off Luca’s lapel. “Your jacket is going to get soaked.”

“How about making a snowman, then?”

“You said a snow angel was too much work, and now you want to build a snowman?”

Luca propped himself up on one elbow. “I dunno. It’d be interesting to see what kind of snowman you’d make.”

“Historically, my snowmen have all been just fine!”

Luca laughed. “Never said they weren’t.” He pushed himself up to a crouch. “C’mon, let’s build one,” he said, already gathering snow in a mound at his feet.

Elias sighed, and knelt beside Luca, pushing snow around with his mittens. “You know –” he began, and then he looked up.

Luca was holding a thick wad of snow aloft, grinning wickedly.

“Don’t you dare throw that snowba-” _Thwap!_ The snowball smacked him in the cheek, part of it splintering off and filling his mouth with snow. It was shockingly cold. Elias spat and rubbed his lips with his jacket sleeve. “Goddamnit, Luca!” Luca was laughing so hard his eyes were squeezed shut, ignoring Elias’ curses.

Elias spat again, assuming the betrayed puppy expression. “Why did you -”

“Too cold for ya?” Luca scuttled forward and grabbed Elias’ arm. “Let me fix that.”

Two seconds after being hit with a snowball, Elias found Luca’s lips on his, thawing his chilled mouth. The heat forced an embarrassed moan from Elias and, taking that as encouragement, Luca caught Elias behind the ears with his thin artist hands and pulled him closer, so that their noses touched. The kiss deepened, and as Elias responded it grew more tender, more gentle.

When their lips separated, their mingled breath spiraled away silver in the frigid air. Luca opened his eyes, and Elias noticed small flecks of snow in his long lashes. “How are ya feelin’ now? Still mad?”

How classic Luca, to make him swear and then to make him burn for another touch. Elias felt his heart flop over.

“M-maybe,” Elias said, obvious in his lie. “But I’ll forgive you… if you k-kiss me one more time.”

“Hmm,” Luca said, his voice full of humor as he played along. “Your lips must still be cold if you’re stuttering, huh?”

As the snow fell, covering them both in a blanket of white, Elias kissed him again. It would be a while until they got around to building that snowman.


	11. Last to Leave - Randy x MC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt #37: “Wanna dance?” in honor of the magic trick or treat event, this is set on hallow’s eve. october was lovely, wasn’t it?

—

**Last to Leave**

—

 

 

The party was over, but music was still playing from the gramophones. Lizbeth hummed along as she collected her table’s trash onto one neat little tray. Luca had remarked that there was a spell that could take care of that, clearly befuddled as to why someone would purposely choose to engage in manual labor, but she had waved him off. It seemed more respectful, somehow, to do it by hand. 

It had been a grand party, easily the best she had attended in her life. The decor was spectacular. The auditorium was filled to the rafters with balloons and streamers in purple and orange. Magic globes were the only source of light, their bobbing and weaving casting charmingly spooky shadows on the students’ faces. The small round tables were decked in dark tablecloths that at first seemed normal, but glowed with hidden twinkling stars when someone approached.

And the food! Roast so tender it fell off the bone at a mere glance, salad so crisp and cold it made one forswear the meat they had just raved over, orange sorbet so tart and sweet that everyone who tasted it had to eat at least two bowls. There were two giant buffet tables full of dishes, and every one tasted as good as the last.

“Magical cooking is amazing,” Yukiya had remarked, while on his third bowl of pudding. Liz had no idea where he put it all.

They all laughed, but Yukiya had a point. There was no doubt that the menu was courtesy of wizards skilled in magical cooking. The idea of cooking something that amazing for Randy gave her a spark of happiness. She made a mental note to follow up; maybe she could join the planning committee for the next big event and pick up a few spells along the way…

A strong arm wrapped around her middle and hoisted her into the air. She shrieked in surprise.

“Whatcha doin’, Liz?” came Randy’s voice from behind.

“Just cleaning up,” she said, laughing. “Put me down!”

On the way down, Randy gave her a little peck behind the ear. She felt the heat of a blush bloom over the bridge of her nose.

“Why are you cleanin’ up? A spell will take care of it, you know.” Randy tilted his head, and she had to laugh again. He looked so cute and devilish in his halloween costume, with the tiny curved horns sticking out of his fluffy pink hair.

“Luca said so too. I know there’s spells for this kind of thing, but I don’t think it’s the same.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, though.” Mid-sentence he dropped his train of thought, and his eyes brightened.

“Hey,” Randy said, leaning in, “wanna dance?”

“D-dance? Now?” Liz reflexively glanced around the deserted auditorium, guarding against the spying eyes of classmates that had left long ago.

“Sure, like this!” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him, and as he did she could scent cologne he had dabbed against his collarbone. She rested her forehead there, temporarily dazzled by his closeness and the beat of his heart.

With his movements guiding her, she gradually abandoned her shyness and fell into the rhythm their bodies made together.

“We danced together once before, remember?” He whispered, his voice husky with tenderness. She smiled, her heart fluttering once at the memory.

“Yes, I remember,” She said, closing her eyes. In this moment, this strange and wonderful boy was her entire world.

All around them, the decorations began picking themselves up: the streamers rolled themselves into neat curls, and the balloons drifted away into some mysterious hidden expanse in the ceiling. The plates were wiped clean, and forks and spoons nested themselves into empty cups before vanishing entirely. The sparkling tablecloths floated upwards as they folded themselves into oblivion, with the grace of swans rising from the water.

But despite all this, as they swayed together, the music from the gramophones played on.


	12. Candlelight - Randy x Klaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt #06 “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” 
> 
> my bisexual!elias fic got more positive feedback than i expected, so i decided to try bisexual!klaus as in interesting experiment. as a result, this fic contains both klaus/randy & very strongly implied klaus/mc. if that’s not your deal, feel free to skip! i’ve tagged this with spoiler and nsfw tags.

—-

**Candlelight**

—-

 

 

“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” Klaus asked. As he inched closer, hardly daring to believe his eyes, the other boy smiled.

The only light was candlelight, their small flames like warm stars. The candles were everywhere; clustered on the desks, on his bed side stand, perched on piles of books. As he wandered deeper into the dim room and further away from normal life, he felt he was floating through a hushed galaxy. 

“Seriously, say something.” Klaus said, trying to sound authoritative. The tremor in his voice gave him away.

Randy March held his gaze, his blue eyes shimmering with the dance of the nearby flames. He was exposed down to the points of his hips, with a bed sheet covering the rest, though it clung enough to suggest the curves of Randy’s thighs. His mid-length red hair draped regally against Klaus’s pillows.

As Klaus watched, Randy kicked the sheet off one foot, exposing his perfect toes and slim ankle. The curves of his arch brought to mind a sea shell.

The kind that must be picked up, saved, treasured.

His resolve cracking, Klaus cleared the distance and gathered Randy into his arms, the sheet rustling with the force of his impact. The boy was impossibly warm. As he pressed Randy’s face against his shoulder, he caught the scent of lavender, and he couldn’t help but glance around for the source.

“You like it? It’s a special lavender candle I picked up in town today. It’s enchanted to bring good romantic fortune.”

Klaus grabbed one shoulder in each hand and drew Randy back, his eyes seeking Randy’s own. “Tell me why, Randy. Why now?”

Randy brought his hand to Klaus’s cheek, smiling in his beatific way. The sweet curve of his lips and the strange deepness of his eyes never failed to make Klaus shiver with goosebumps. His skin prickled with sensitivity.

His brain warned, _be careful, you’ve fallen for him._

“Because it’s time,” Randy said, pecking at Klaus’s adam’s apple with his lips. “Because I’ve loved you since you first walked through those academy doors. And because if I didn’t do this, you won’t touch me until we’re old and grey.”

Klaus felt his heart wrench at Randy’s confession, the last of his defenses crumbling. He began kissing everywhere - Randy’s cheeks, his mouth, behind his ear. He leaned in and sucked at the tendon straining above Randy’s clavicle, then darted his tongue into the hollow of the other boy’s throat, where candlelight pooled like liquid gold. His new lover responded with a breathy sigh.

His heart thundered, _love him, love him, love him._

 

* * *

 

SIX YEARS LATER

 

* * *

 

Klaus strode purposefully through the town square with a letter in his hand, the wax seal still hot against his fingers. He had timed things impeccably as usual, and there should be more than fifteen minutes until the train pulled into Gedonelune Station, but he did not slow his pace.

That is, until he caught a nostalgic accent of lavender on the wind.

It couldn’t be. He pocketed the letter and began to search, part of him convinced he was hallucinating, until he found the source: an old woman in grey robes, standing beside a large wooden wagon. The wagon was filled with straw, with bright colored candles sprinkled throughout, like an overlarge basket of easter eggs.

“Enchanted candles! Love candles!” She barked cheerfully at passersby. When she noticed Klaus inspecting her wares, she stopped abruptly and greeted him like a old friend, with a wide smile and a wink.

“Back again, I see,” she said, folding her hands over her stomach.

“No, you’re mistaken,” Klaus replied, “we’ve never met.” Even though he knew this was it, he picked up a large lavender candle in both hands and inhaled deeply. Behind his eyelids, he saw Randy reclining on his pillows, so sensual and patient. His bones shivered at the recollection of Randy’s body pressed against him. He had cried out all his tears long ago, but a shadow of them lingered, so he kept his eyes closed until he was certain he was composed.

When he turned his face to her, the old woman was studying him with pale grey eyes, the same shade as her clothes. “Hmm.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t believe my candles work, do you?”

“Work?” Klaus snorted. “How could they?” A picture started to form in his mind - Serge’s face in a panic, Randy, frozen, the pink leaving his cheeks as he grew ever more still - but he pushed it away, hard. Bile rose in his throat and he cast the candle back into its bed of straw. “You probably don’t have an ounce of magic in you. Good day.”

“The one you’re destined to love - you’ll meet her today, but not on that train.” The old woman yelled, throwing her voice so he would hear her even as he resumed his walk.

Does she have Foresight?, Klaus wondered. Still, he didn’t turn around. He wanted to be there before the train pulled into the station, so the first face the new student would see would be his. He found that kind of reassurance significantly calmed first day nerves and enabled students to adapt to their studies much more easily.

He could still smell the lavender on the wind, but after one last recollection of Randy, he resolved not to think of it anymore.


	13. Pickles and Relish - Luca x Elias

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt #02 "Have you lost your damn mind?"  
> also inspired by an otpprompt. a modern!au.

\---

**Pickles and Relish**

\---

 

 

As Luca stood in the condiments aisle at two a.m., confronted with the largest assembly of pickles and relish the twenty first century had to offer, he started calculating how soon he would break up with his boyfriend.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the guy - after all, they had been dating for over a year now, which was pretty much a record for Luca Orlem, serial non-committer. The boyfriend in question was both handsome and good in bed; these were a pair of things that did not go together nearly as often as people thought. He was a night person and he threw excellent parties.  

But, Luca thought as his hand closed around a smooth glass jar, maybe he was tired of always being the one sent to pick up extra supplies when the munchies started running low.

Overhead, the fluorescent lights buzzed in the eternal siren’s song of late night shopping.

He put the item back on the shelf, immediately forgetting what brand he had picked up. He realized he had no idea what kind of relish his boyfriend actually wanted. In fact, he had no idea what a person actually put relish on. These were all key facts he could have asked before leaving, but didn’t, because he had been in a hurry to get this over with, and anyway it was much cooler to just stroll out the door in his nice leather jacket and favorite t-shirt with no list.

“If you’re looking for relish, this brand is quite good,” said a voice near his shoulder. A jar reading ‘fancy sweet pepper relish’ (and promising it was ‘all natural! organic! no preservatives!’) appeared before his eyes.  

Luca looked up, suppressing a start of surprise. The man holding out the relish was a good-looking - no, not just good looking, gorgeous - blonde with eyes so blue they seemed almost purple. He wore an understated cream-colored cardigan and two days’ worth of stubble. His cart, parked slightly to the side so that it wouldn’t hit Luca, contained two bags of coffee, a pack of cheap ballpoint pens, caffeinated gum, a giant chocolate bar, and two whole boxes of beignets. He was smiling, waiting for Luca to take the jar.

“Oh, thanks,” Luca said, his lips moving automatically.

The other man followed Luca’s gaze to his cart and laughed, a sound that made Luca’s heart flutter. “It’s another all nighter for me,” He said, clearly a little embarrassed to be caught. He groaned and tousled his own hair. “Grad school, you know?”

“Yeah,” Luca said, although he didn’t know. He had skidded through high school by the skin of his teeth and stopped there, a fact that his irrepressible godfather Conrad Schuyler never let him forget. He made a mental note to call sometime soon - a note that was quickly forgotten as soon as the stranger smiled.

“We live in the same apartment building, don’t we?” he was saying. Luca had no idea but felt he would definitely remember someone like this, wouldn’t he? Someone so beautiful, so elegant, so intelligent. Someone enrolled in grad school. Someone who didn’t throw stupid parties at 2:00 am.

This was exactly the kind of person his godfather had been trying to get him together with for years.

“Uh, maybe,” Luca said, and then cursed his own hesitancy. Play it cool - he had to play it cool. “I’m sure I’ve seen you around, actually. The Heights? 203? I’m Luca, by the way.”

He finally accepted the relish jar, which had been hanging in the air this entire time. As their fingers brushed, Luca felt his stomach quiver.

“I’m in 303,” the blonde said. “Elias. It’s a pleasure.”

Luca’s heart twanged like a harp string. “The pleasure’s mine,” Luca replied, and he smiled his most charming smile. He was pleased to see a blush unfold on Elias’ cheeks.

“Right,” said Elias, as he did the awkward upper body swivel of a stranger trying to excuse himself from conversation. “I should get going. Papers don’t research themselves.”

“Right,” said Luca, throwing up what he hoped was a casual wave.

With a faint squeak of cart wheels, Elias ducked his head as a final goodbye and set off down the aisle, producing a list from his cardigan pocket. He was holding the scrap of paper close to his face and muttering under his breath, ‘gum, pens, beignets--’

For a second, Luca stood mute, the condiment jar heavy and pointless in his hand. He opened his mouth. Have you lost your damn mind?, he wondered. There was no way someone like Elias of apartment 303 could be interested in him; he knew that. But as he watched Elias’ back grow smaller and smaller, seconds from turning the corner and disappearing completely, he made his decision.  

“Hey, wait!” He shouted.

He put the relish back on the shelf, and jogged after Elias, determined to catch up.


	14. Fruit of the Rose - Luca x Elias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elias has soft squishy thighs. He doesn’t like them, but Luca sure does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the anon that sent in the ask about elias’ thighs. ;)) i got you, fam. this is mildly nsfw - nothing very explicit, but it does depict sexual situations, so i’m gunna err on the side of caution and tag it as nsfw anyway. i headcanon the characters as 18+

\---

**Fruit of the Rose**

\---

 

 

“No good?” Luca asked. He sighed a quick warm breath as he leaned back against the pillows. They crinkled under the weight of his head and arm, one palm tucked under the back of his head. Elias took advantage of Luca’s splayed limb to admire the curve of the other boy’s pectorals, and the messy frump of hair peeking out from the crook of his arm. It looked soft, like goose down.

“N-no. It was good. It just…”

Elias trailed off, unsure where he was going - and unsure why he couldn’t go further. The overhead fan spun in serene orbit, bathing the two young men in a current of cool air.

“You’re not ready,” Luca said. They had been dating for a year now, and they could never seem to get past this moment - when the clothes came off and they were panting in each other’s arms. No matter how long they kissed, no matter how worked up they became, they had to stop. Because of him. Luca probably would have gone all the way after their first kiss - or at least, that’s what Elias guessed, gauging from the flames burning in his boyfriend’s eyes when he pulled away.

“It’s okay, y’know.” Elias could tell from the drawl in Luca’s voice that his eyes were closed, like he was taking a nap on the campus lawn. The toes rubbing his calf in little affectionate circles proved otherwise, though. “We can take as much time as y’want.” He yawned and looped his arm around Elias’ shoulders, reeling him in. In return, Elias slowly lowered his cheek to his lover’s shoulder, like a bird floating down to rest.

“But what about what you want?” Elias whispered.

“What I want,” Luca said, his eyes fluttering open, “is for you to love me.” He was giving Elias that look, the one that said ‘you’re being silly’ and ‘I love you’ in equal measure. Elias felt his stomach clench. “You love me, right?”

“O-of course. Idiot.” Hoping to hide the heat rising to his cheeks, he pressed his face into the other boy’s skin. He released an exaggerated exhale and then breathed deep. The sweat from their exertion earlier did not yet have a strong scent - it was only faintly sweet.

“Well then,” Luca said, and Elias could hear the happiness singing underneath the words. “I’ll be happy to wait, since my lover has a fine body like this.”

Luca’s hand captured Elias’ thigh, giving it a firm squeeze.

Elias yelped in surprise, face turning red in earnest. He tried to tug his leg free, but Luca only laughed, somehow gaining more ground the more Elias struggled. By the end he was halfway in Luca’s arms, with one arm securing his thigh, and the other curled around his lower back, brushing the top of his rump. The closeness was intoxicating.

“Hey! D-don’t!”

Luca leaned back an inch. “Don’t what? You don’t like being held like this?”

“N-no, I mean, it’s embarrassing - you grabbing my thighs… like that.” Elias tried to slow down. He could feel his heart pounding like a train over tracks, ceaseless and wild. It was hard to get the words out.

“I hate my thighs. They’re too large for a guy.”

Luca closed the space between them, and when he laughed, it was against Elias’ throat. His breath was so hot it almost burned.

“I love your thighs,” Luca murmured. His fingers were lustful as they played, but his voice was tender, so tender. “They are -” An exhalation, a half-breath, “- so beautiful. And soft. Like peaches.” His voice was velvet in Elias’ ear.

So deceptive, this Luca Orlem. He feigned coolness, but in truth he was fire - fire, all the way down.

He grabbed at Elias’ thighs again, kneading them like a cat. Elias felt each stroke acutely as desire shot through him, leaving him breathless and lightheaded. His eyes watered when he gasped for breath.

Elias could tell Luca was holding back for his sake. His breathing wasn’t uneven yet, but it was a hair’s breadth from being so, and his lips were parted in a hungry half-moan. Then, even as Elias sat perched in his lap and ripe for the taking, Luca pressed his lips together, exhaled through his nose, and relaxed his hold. Luca the cool, in control again. Only one tell betrayed him: his brow, knit in a single, wobbling line.

It was the sight of that brow, even more than the lust of seconds before, that untied the perpetual knot in Elias’ chest.

“W-will you kiss me?” Elias asked. “But on the thighs, this time. Since you like them so much.”

Luca quirked an eyebrow, flashing a brief playboy grin. “On the thighs?”

Good thing he had a seat, because his knees were weak. “Maybe… we could… start there. And see how things go. I’m not promising anything, but –”

“Of course, of course.” Luca kissed him. The touch of his lips was a lighthearted one, but it held the ashes of their passion, and it only needed a few more breaths to catch again.

“I won’t bruise you, peach,” he whispered.

Elias shivered.


	15. Splinter - Luca x Amelia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the other students locked them in the closet, Amelia had expected some leering and giggles. Maybe even some grabbing, if Luca felt bold. What she hadn’t expected was Luca completely and totally freaking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: #14 “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”  
> Pairing: luca/amelia 
> 
> content warnings: panic attacks / anxiety

 

—

**Splinter**

—

 

As soon as the door shut and locked he started fidgeting - bumping against the wall, throwing an impersonal kick at a box by his feet, rustling the coats that were hanging a few inches away. In the darkness she heard the coats swing on the rack with a faint whistle, permeating the air with the scent of mothballs and fabric softener. There were spells for storing items, Amelia’s mind registered dimly, but perhaps not all the academy’s housekeeping staff was magically trained. Or maybe they didn’t waste their time on casting air freshening charms on every dorm room closet.

Luca wasn’t speaking to her.

His behavior was weird, sure, but maybe he was just making room. Amelia Nile had never played seven minutes in heaven before, which was something she regularly lamented to her roommate Clara. Well, not the seven minutes in heaven part, but about being single in general. It was embarrassing, being seventeen years old and kiss-less. When Luca asked her out, she rejected him three times. When he came back -  the fourth time - she allowed the hope that he might be as in love with her as he claimed to be.

She giggled nervously, waiting to feel Luca’s breath on her face.

Instead there came a horrible rasping - hollow, scratchy, terrified. It sounded like something had crawled out of the depths to die. She realized it was Luca and fumbled for her wand.

With a whispered incantation for light, she raised it over the boy’s face - and suppressed a start.

Luca was a wreck. His sun-tanned cheeks were drained of color and his temples were damp with sudden sweat. His curiously unfocused eyes darted from wall to wall and his lower lip trembled and jerked like a runaway railroad car over tracks. As she watched he raised his hands and began banging the closet door. When it didn’t give his breathing grew louder, his hyperventilating filling the space until it was a person on its own, wedged between them in the too-small space and making it hard to think.

“Luca?” She grabbed his arm but he shook her off like rainwater. “Luca? What’s wrong?”

“Have to,” he said. “Have to, have to, have to -”

“Have to what? Luca?”

“Have to GET OUT OF HERE,” he said, grimacing out a half-yell, and she couldn’t tell if he was mad at her or himself or the students or what. None of this made any sense. He had been fine a few minutes ago, when they had been hanging out with everyone on the bed and listening to music.

Maybe - now that she ran it over frantically in her mind - maybe there had been an uneasy look in his eye when someone suggested the game. And maybe he had spent an unusual amount of time trying to convince everyone that it would be much more entertaining to invite Elias and Clara over and put them in the closet instead. But who was surprised by that? Everyone knew he was taking bets on which Goldstein that Clara ended up with.

_Why didn’t he just tell her that something was wrong?_

There was a scratching sound, and then a muffled sob. Luca lay twisted against the door, his face in the other direction, his shoulder and right arm huddled against the wood. His shoulder blades shivered with every shallow breath.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he was whispering, “just let me out. I promise I’ll be good, just let me out. I won’t do magic, I promise, I promise…”

This scared her more than anything.

She tried grabbing his arm again, and this time he didn’t resist her. Encouraged, she drew him towards her and together they fell gently to the floor. He pressed his tear-stained face into her neck, still gasping for breath and shaking. She rested her chin on top of his head - no easy feat, considering how volatile his body was.

“Talk to me, okay? I know it’s hard, but talk to me.”

“Got to get out,” he said.

“Out of the closet?”

“Yes,” he gasped. Then - “Please.” He clutched at the hem of her shirt, crushing it in his fingers. The knuckles were white.

“Okay,” Amelia said in her most soothing manner, and she felt a rush of self-confidence. This was something she could do. She was a problem solver, and now she saw the problem. “I’m going to get you out of here,” she said, raising her voice so they could both hear her, “ _We’re_ getting out of here. Okay? Everything’s fine. You’re fine.”

Luca was mute, but his eyes were on her.

“Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always. We’re going to get out of here, and then when you’re ready - someday - we’re going to talk about this.”

He nodded in reply. They rose up together as one.


End file.
